Artist Statement
About Lunisolar
The state of California has the largest Asian population in the United States of America, with Los Angeles County having the largest community in the country. According to 2021 US Census estimates, Los Angeles County is home to 1.48 million people of Asian descent (racially Asian only; 1.68 million when mixed with other races). The Lunar New Year represents one of the most important and popular celebrations that takeplace in Asian communities, symbolizing not only a time of family reunion, but also the attraction of good fortune. In 2023, as part of an independent project, I had the opportunity to document the customs and traditions of this festivity in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles, CA.
By the sound of drums, one of the most traditional symbols of the Lunar New Year are the dances of huge dragon puppets. Manipulated by two or more people, the goal is to bring luck to the community, and the greater its length, the more luck it will bring.
Gallery
About
Born in 1988, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil I’m a visual artist based in Orange County – California, USA. Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Publicity & Advertising and Journalism from Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) – in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – currently I’m participating in the Master’s program in Fine Arts at OTIS College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA. Photography has been the tool that allowed me to express, reveal and immortalize the unpredictability and constant transformation in life that would never repeat itself. The natural world and human behavior have always attracted my attention. Navigating between these universes, my curiosity often leads me to different themes. While some are still in the experimentation phase, most of my recent work has been focused on human relationships in a social environment.
The interest in understanding and connecting with people grew during my college years, where I was given the opportunity to deepen my knowledge on different fronts. Within the photography field, the advertising major introduced me to both its artistic and commercial side, while the journalism major presented me with the possibility of a narrative of life through a documentary look.
My creative process is in constant experimentation, transformation, and evolution. I use lights,shadows, and colors as a guide to create the narrative of my stories. Building layers, I look for interactions of individual universes. With humor I pursue to document our society from its behaviors and interactions. Through my work my intension is inviting the public to interact, identify with and reflect about the portrayed situations.
